Saab BioPower Receives Avis Backing | Part Two

"For the first time, business and leisure customers wanting a premium-class car can now rent one that has regard for the environment in a simple way. Bioethanol is a renewable resource that we produce here in Sweden from our crops and forestry, and there is an expanding infrastructure in place already supplying it.

"The flexibility of the Saab 9-5 BioPower also makes it far more practical to use when compared to some hybrid and CNG (compressed natural gas)-powered cars we have tried, which have restricted ranges or fuel supply complications.

"The fact that E85 fuel for the Saab BioPower is currently 40 per cent cheaper at the pumps than petrol is a major financial benefit for our customers. All Saab 9-5 BioPower users are also exempt from paying city congestion charges.

"Saab already has an outstanding reputation for safety and we are pleased to see that the Saab 9-5 has again been named Sweden's safest car in the latest Folksam survey. As a company, Avis benefits from reduced insurance premiums as a result of the Saab 9-5's low injury claims record."

Operating a fleet of Saab 9-5 BioPower Saloon and Estate cars will also help Avis meet its ISO 14001 environmental standards, a requirement shared by many of the companies who employ Avis customers.

The first 120 cars of the Avis fleet - carrying a discrete 'Saab BioPower with Avis' decal above the fuel filler flap - are now in place at Avis' main Stockholm office and the company plans to have the 9-5 BioPower available for rental throughout its 120 branch national network. All cars will be fitted with integrated, hands-free Sony Ericsson Bluetooth telephones, for increased driving safety, and engine block heaters, for quick warm up and improved fuel consumption when cold.

"We are delighted to welcome Avis as our first Saab BioPower customer," says Bengt Nilemo, Managing Director of General Motors Sweden. "We already have an extremely large order book for this car, which clearly makes a lot of sense for both environmental and financial reasons.

"The development of this engine also says a lot about the values of the Saab brand because the driver can enjoy having 20 per cent more engine power when using E85, as well as being kinder to the environment."